– To me, they are just idiots – VG

RUKA/OSLO (VG) Calle Halfvarsson (33) thought he had taken a podium place and secured a huge both Swedish and personal triumph. But then the message came that he was disqualified. It made him rage.

– I am disappointed. It’s bad, he says to VG in a very brief comment about the jury’s decision.

In front of the Swedish Expressen, however, he is brutal in his assessment of the jury. He believes that the discussions in the jury room were not very pleasant.

– They were mostly grinning and happy with their decision, says Halfvarsson.

He was then asked what he felt then.

– People are already so disappointed that I don’t care how they behave. To me they are just idiots. They would rather have an Italian on the podium because they think we Swedes and Norwegians are ruining the sport, he says.

In front of Aftonbladet, he calls the jury “clowns”.

The dramatic message came shortly after the finish line of the 20-kilometre chase start in Ruka on Sunday.

The disqualification is due to Halfvarsson going outside the track markings in the last uphill before the race inside the ski stadium in Ruka.

He should actually have smiled through the press zone, as Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Pål Golberg did after they secured the Norwegian double on Sunday. It became something completely different.

Instead, Italian Federico Pellegrino moved up to the podium. He had a different view of the whole incident than his rival.

– Calle should have found another place to go. I saw it and think the decision was fair. I have been dishonored for the same thing several times, he says to VG.

Klæbo has the following message when he hears the discouraging Halfvarsson news:

– I feel sorry for Calle, I would have liked him to get on the podium. It seems that he is well on his way again, it is boring that he is going to rush it, says Klæbo to VG.

– Understand that Calle is frustrated

Race director Michael Lamplot explains the dishing as follows to VG.

We informed the teams and have reminded them not to cross the boundaries we have set up. On the last hill, Calle had his ski outside, which is not allowed and he took advantage of that.

– Calle calls you idiots and says you wanted the Italian on the podium, what do you say to that?

– I will not comment on that. I understand that Calle is frustrated, but you should know that it is not fun for anyone on the jury to impose sanctions and especially not to dishonor anyone. But we have to follow the rules.

– He is cursed

Sweden’s national team manager, Anders Byström, tells VG that they “obviously do not agree” with how the decision-makers have assessed the matter.

– The jury says he goes outside the course markings. But he does that with half his body and one ski. But he gains nothing from it. It feels very unfair that he is dishonored for it, he says.

He refers, among other things, to a situation where Petter Northug made a similar maneuver when the former ski king was active. Then, according to Byström, Northug only received a yellow card and no disqualification. Now everything just feels heavy, he says.

Byström says that they have filed a protest against the decision. They have already had it rejected by the jury. Now they can appeal the case. But it probably won’t go that far. It is a longer process that requires both finances and time.

– You have to follow the rules, of course, but I don’t think anyone would have protested if he had been given the OK for what he is doing there. There is a lot of room to go, really, says Byström and says the following about how the main character himself feels:

– Calle is cursed. But he did a fantastic race, we shouldn’t forget that, he says.